As it turns out, "pattern day trading" is defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission as executing four or more trades of the same security in five days. "Day trading" is the practice of closing out all positions and returning to cash at the end of every trading day. "Swing trading" means holding shit for less than a week and yes, there's a "for dummies" book on that, too.

Holding shit for more than a week? That's considered "investing."

The day trading book doesn't promise wealth or riches at all - it makes the point that in any legitimate study of day trading, 80% of traders are wiped out within a year and those that aren't wiped out earn a median income of $3k per year from their trades. They then say "but it's legit because real estate agents do worse." It's kind of amazing - it goes out of its way to say "day trading isn't gambling" and then uses gambling metaphors for the rest of the book.

I've saved your comment. I'll definitely check them out. I put my wife into a Yale unconventional last week and I'm doing a Bogle 3-fund for my meager portion.

(and doing all sorts of options hijinks in Thinkorswim but that's fake money so who cares)